Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Works (Peter Hurford)

Information

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

CD1:

1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
2. "Herzlich tut mich verlangen", BWV 727
3. "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 645 ("Sleepers, awake")
4. Prelude (Fantasy) and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 - "Great"
5. "Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier", BWV 730
6. Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
7. Prelude and Fugue in E flat major, BWV 552
8. "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland", BWV 659
9. Prelude (Fantasy) and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537

CD2:

1. Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
2. "In dulci jubilo", BWV 729
3. Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
4. Fantasia in G major, BWV 572
5. Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532
6. "Nun freut euch, liebe Christen g'mein", BWV 734
7. "Wo soll ich fliehen hin", BWV 694
8. Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562
9. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538 - "Dorian"

Peter Hurford, organ
Date: 1977-1980
Label: Decca
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4434852

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Review

It seems not long ago that I reviewed Marie-Claire Alain's complete survey of Bach's organ works in these pages (February 1995), and comparisons with Decca's new and long-overdue compilation of Peter Hurford's Bach recordings from the Seventies and Eighties show just how wide the net of Bach interpretation is cast among organists. Through his recordings, Hurford largely pioneered the modern-day 'English tradition' of Bach playing, with the emphasis on lively tempi, clear articulation and a restrained use of ornamentation. At die time, this came as a refreshing antidote to die heavy, prosaic recordings of such continental organists as Karl Richter and Helmut Walcha. A facet of Hurford's playing that consistently shines through the set is the energy and forward propulsion with which he invests the music, notably in the larger-scale works. Listen to the D major Prelude and Fugue, BWV 532, ignoring die fudged opening pedal scale, as an example of Hurford's keen sense of drama, achieved through superb control over both rhythm and musical line. The fugue is wonderfully airborne and all the better for a close recording, on this occasion at Ratzeburg Cathedral. Incidentally, all the recordings are played on modern mechanical action instruments. Many would say that the soul of Bach's organ music lies in the chorale preludes, and in this area of Hurford's recordings, I am left widi mixed feelings. Many of the more introspective pieces, such as 'O Mensch, bewein' dein' Siinde gross' from the Orgel-Buchlein, are treated with great tenderness, yet I often find Hurford's registration rather cloying, his use of two-foot stops giving the upper register a sparkle that becomes wearisome after repeated listening. The jewel in the crown of this set, though, lies in the concertos and, even more so, in the trio sonatas, which are given performances of the utmost musicianship. As a bonus, Hurford includes chorale preludes merely attributed to Bach. Overall, the consistendy high standard of performance and recording quality places this set higher in my preference to Alain's survey on Erato.

-- Stephen Haylett, BBC Music Magazine
reviewing DECCA 444 410-2 / Bach: Complete Organ Works - Peter Hurford

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Great-Organ-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B000004248

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Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from Italy and France. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach

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Peter Hurford (born 22 November 1930 in Minehead, Somerset) is a British organist and composer. Hurford studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, and subsequently studied in Paris under the blind French organist André Marchal. He is best known for his interpretations of Bach, having recorded the complete Bach organ works for Decca and BBC Radio 3. His expertise also encompasses recordings of the Romantic literature for organ, performances notable for attention to stylistic detail. His playing style is noted for clean articulation, beauty of expression, and a sense of proper tempi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hurford

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